Which app is using location at startup

Jo1alfa

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Hello all, newbie here with nokia 830 gdr2 update in Belgium

I would like to know why I always see the location icon when starting up my phone.
Is there a way to check which apps are running at startup and using the location?

Kind regards,

Johan
 

gpobernardo

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If you've got the Find My Phone settings activated in your phone settings, then it's most probably your phone itself that is finding your location right after start up - your phone will also do this right before it shuts down and at a pre-determined interval so it would be easier to find it from your windowsphone.com account.

In a newer update (I think WP 8.1 update 2), there will be the option to choose which apps have access to certain services, such as location... but that doesn't seem to include which apps are currently using what services; it's only an allow/disallow thing.

Welcome to Windows Central, by the way.
 

Jo1alfa

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Hello and thanks for your answer,

I don't think it is the find my phone as it is not activated on my phone.
That location icon drives me crazy as I do not know what is happening.
Grrrr.....
Any tips to finding the solution will be rewarded with a big thank you.

Kind regards,

Johan
 

Jo1alfa

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Hello,

Just got a tip to disable location service and try or wait for an app to ask permission.
Alas...
No app is asking for permission.

Regards,

Johan
 

RumoredNow

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According to Microsoft, when you see that symbol an Application is Requesting Location. I interpret that to mean the request may not be honored... The forums are filled with people asking how come it always lights up even though they have disabled Location in their settings.

On a personal note, I think disabling Location robs your smart device of a lot of its power. Honestly, I don't let anything stupid have unfettered access to Location. I think a lot of social media type Apps are Location hogs and therefore battery thieves. Thank the gods I'm not prey to such foibles. Consequently, I always have Location on and have no battery drain issues.
 

gpobernardo

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Hello and thanks for your answer,

I don't think it is the find my phone as it is not activated on my phone.
That location icon drives me crazy as I do not know what is happening.
Grrrr.....
Any tips to finding the solution will be rewarded with a big thank you.

Kind regards,

Johan

If it's the location icon itself that's your concern, then you can choose to prevent the phone from displaying it in your phone Settings > location > uncheck "Show icon" under "Location request indicator".

Note however that that doesn't mean your phone won't be trying to find it's location anymore - it could, you just won't know it. It's like taking a pain killer because a certain body part is aching without actually curing the cause of the pain - but let's no go further into this medical analogy, since untreated pain usually leads to biological complications, whereas a phone attempting to find its location doesn't.:wink:
 

Jo1alfa

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Hello all,

Thanks for trying to help. Until now I did not find what is going on with the location usage.
For now I decided to disable location and only use it when I really need it.
I will search further when I have more time.

As I have update 2 there is a very good new option to disable features for certain apps.
I can set app permissions but allas ... not for the location.

Kind regards,

Johan
 

gpobernardo

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Hello all,

Thanks for trying to help. Until now I did not find what is going on with the location usage.
For now I decided to disable location and only use it when I really need it.
I will search further when I have more time.

As I have update 2 there is a very good new option to disable features for certain apps.
I can set app permissions but allas ... not for the location.

Kind regards,

Johan

That will certainly give you peace of mind, but not sure about the soundness of that. Having location enabled (and the Find my Phone feature) could be very useful in case the phone gets misplaced or stolen.

Microsoft's privacy policies on user information (including location data) should pretty much cover any concern about privacy.

Background location tracking also doesn't consume much of battery power since the phone only takes a few seconds to determine the location if possible (this is different from having a navigation app open, which consumes a lot more power), so that should cover concerns over battery drains.

But that's just my take. Some of the features that make a smartphone "smart" is its "ability" to determine the location, both as needed and automatically in the background. But if you don't need features such as geofencing, Cortana location reminders, weather apps, location-based news updates, etc., then you should be find without location turned on.
 

Jo1alfa

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Hello and thanks for your answer,

Yes, yes I love the location based possibilities but it I think nobody should track where I am besides me and myself without telling me.
Untill now I don't know what is happening.
This use of location should be plain and simple noticed for each app.

Regards,

Johan
 
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gpobernardo

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I agree and understand your concern... but the thing is, nobody else is tracking you even if the location icon is being shown in your phone - Microsoft's privacy policy covers that. Your phone location may appear in your windowsphone.com account if you enable it, but nobody else will see that without your consent, your Microsoft account password, a court order... or if you leave that page open and someone behind you snoops around and sees it.

The post of RumoredNow in post #6 should let you know what is happening when that icon is active.

As for the apps having access to your location, no app will access your location unless you allow it. For example, you may download a weather app that delivers weather information based on your phone location. If you downloaded it from your PC, there will be an agreement page telling you that the app requires your location - agreeing to that doesn't mean that you're allowing the app already, you're just acknowledging the fact. Once the app is in your phone, the first time you launch it it will ask you if you want the app to access your phone location - something you can allow or deny.

If you downloaded it from your phone, there will be no such agreement page simply because you will be asked if you want the app to use your location the first time you launch the app.

If you allowed certain apps to access your location and then you change your mind, you can always prevent them from accessing your location from the app settings itself - without having to turn of location services.

Of course there are apps that allow someone else to see your location (such as Life360, Waze, Viber, Messenger), but again if you don't allow these apps to use your location then these apps won't know what your location is, even if the location icon is being displayed.

In summary:
1. Having the location icon on doesn't mean that someone else is tracking you. It just means that the phone is trying to determine it's location. It may mean that an app is try to access your location, but it doesn't mean that the app is being granted access to your location.

2. You have control over which apps determine your location - just go to the app settings. This means that the "use of location" is "plain and simple [] for each app".

3. Your location, if enabled, may appear in your Microsoft account but only you have legal access to that information.

4. You can still be tracked just by having your phone turned on by cellular site triangulation. Any user can be tracked through the IMEI and SIM ID - and these won't show you a location icon. This means that even the old Nokia 3210 can be tracked and that's a phone that won't even tell you your location is being determined already. But unless you're someone certain organizations really want to find, then chances are that you're not being tracked at all through this method.

5. I'm not convincing you to turn on location services in your phone; I'm just hoping that these information would clarify things up a bit regarding Windows Phone location services..
 

RumoredNow

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Hello and thanks for your answer,

Yes, yes I love the location based possibilities but it I think nobody should track where I am besides me and myself without telling me.
Untill now I don't know what is happening.
This use of location should be plain and simple noticed for each app.

Regards,

Johan

Johan...

The fear of digital tracking is a misplaced one.

If Health and Fitness App tracks your locations... And someone hacks into that data, what good does it do them to know you took 8,327 steps at a local park? How does that ruin your life?

If your Weather App's database gets hacked and they now know you live in AnyTown... What does that get them? Just having some locations your phone went to does no hacker any good that I can see.

What scenario do you envision where some hacker creates mischief from knowing where YOUR phone has been?. YOU out of the millions they got this information on?

In case of hackers getting into databases, you have way more to worry about than your phone's location... Hackers don't care where your phone has been. They want your bank log-in, your passwords to your email and social media, your social security number, your bank card information. None of them are making money from scams based on knowing where your phone was yesterday.

Don't want the authorities to know where you've been? OK, I won't even ask what you did wrong. You, my man, are stone cold gangstah and I'm scared of you. I know the cops are hunting for you night and day. So you think that the McDonalds App on your phone that uses location services to show you where the closest restaurant is and offer you special deals is their go to for tracking you down?

Brother, if not one single App on your phone is allowed location they will still find you through your phone. They don't ask about App Location Services and comb through umpteen million servers. The authorities go straight to the source. They check with your carrier and your carrier tells them each and every cell tower your phone has connected to. They don't need location services for that. It's automatic, your phone just has to be on and have service.

Don't want the authorities to track you by your cell phone? The only way to avoid that is to not have a cell phone. Period.

Is it Microsoft you are worried about? Is it 3rd party servers? Figure out who you trust and who you don't. Only give the trusted ones access to Location. A lot of your stuff will function at a lower level. The only drawback from allowing Apps to have Location is advertising. So what? Microsoft isn't Google. I've been all in with both and I know the difference. Microsoft isn't using their position to make money from steering advertisers to you in anywhere near the frantic level that Google does. The inter-app permissions on Windows Phone are much more restricted (and therefore protective of YOU) that they are on Android. Those third party ones? That's exactly why the free game wants Location so they can show you an ad that is relevant to where you live. They don't want to send you an ad for a store in Los Angeles if you live in Heidelberg.

In short, you rob yourself of a lot of the device's power and potential to avoid nothing of any consequence. Could you explain how any of this is wrong? Can you tell me what about Location harms you?

You state:
This use of location should be plain and simple noticed for each app.

As gpobernardo explained, each app must ask you. You can always say yes or no. You can always change the permissions. It is this way on every OS. This is not some Microsoft built trap designed to trick you into giving away something that will harm you.
 

Jo1alfa

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Hello,

Thanks for the elaborate explanation.
I'm not so much concerned about my privacy.
I'm a bit worried about the kind of society we will live in the next years.
Society is changing so fast. I would slow down it a bit if i could.
( please don't start a political discussion )

Anyway thanks again.

Regards,

Johan
 

gpobernardo

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Hello,

Thanks for the elaborate explanation.
I'm not so much concerned about my privacy.
I'm a bit worried about the kind of society we will live in the next years.
Society is changing so fast. I would slow down it a bit if i could.
( please don't start a political discussion )

Anyway thanks again.

Regards,

Johan

Let tomorrow worry about itself. :wink:
 

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